Improvement in man-hole covers for steam-boilers



H. CULLINSON.

Man-HoI e Cover for Steam-Boilers. NO 161 934 PatentedApriHIiJ875,

THE GRAPHIC C0.PHDTO .-LITH.39&41 PARK PLAGLMK S'ra'rns Parana FFICE.

HENRY COLLINSON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HISRIGHT TO JOSIAH B. KENDALL, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN MAN-HOLE COVERS FOR STEAM-BOILERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. H.334, dated April 13,1875 application filed March 18, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY OoLLINsoN, of Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain. Improvements inClosing Man-Holes of Steam-Boilers and other openings, of which thefollowing is a specification:

The object of my invention is to provide a means of hermeticallyclosing, without the use of luting or packing, all openings whichrequire to be sealed air and water tightsuch, for example, as theman-holes of steamboilers, the side lights of ships, the tops offire-extinguishers, the mouths of gas-holders, and the mouths offruit-cans and sugar-filters.

The invention consists in alid or cover with a true flat face arrangedin such manner that, while being forced home against a flat seat, itreceives a sliding and rotating motion thereon.

Figure 1 represents a vertical central section of my device; Fig. 2, anoutside face view of the same; Fig. 3, a face view of the cover and itsseat, with the screw and its support removed, showing the eccentricattachment of the screw; Fig. 4, a vertical central section of amodified form of the device, with a cam-lever substituted for the screw.

In carrying out my invention I form around the opening to be closed aflat true face, A, to form a seat for the lid or cover B, which has itsface formed flat and true, and as smooth as possible, so that, whenfitted and held snugly against the seat B, an air-tight joint existsbetween them.

In order to insure the proper seating of the plate, I arrange it in suchmanner that, while being forced up against the seat, it receives asliding and rotating motion thereon. This may be accomplished in avariety of ways, two of which are illustrated in the drawing.

In Fig. 1 a screw, 0, passing through a suitable support, 1), has itsinner end provided with an eccentric head, a, which is seated in arecess in the center of the lid, as shown in Fig. 3, so that, uponturning the screw inward, it forces the cover directly against the seat,while at the same time, by means of the eccentric head, it slides orshifts the cover about over the face of the sea-t A, the eccentricmoving the center of the cover about in a circular path, so that thefriction on the cover causes it to rotate more or less about its owncenter. The action of the parts is such that the cover is caused to fitor grind itself closely to its seat. In case of there being adheringparticles of any kind upon the face of the seat or cover, they will beremoved by the sliding and rotating motion of the cover, which will inevery instance obtain for itself a smooth clean seat. In case of thefaces being untrue the cover will, by reason of its peculiar movement,turn or shift until a tight joint, or the nearest possible approximationthereto, is obtained. The movement of the cover is such, however, thatit rarely seats itself twice in the same position, the result of whichis that the wear on the faces of the two is rendered uniform at allpoints, and the parts thus kept true and smooth.

In the modified form of the device shown in Fig. 4, the construction ofthe seat and cover, and the movement of the latter, are the same asabove described; but an eccentric lever is used in place of the screw tosupport the cover, and force it home to its seat. The lever is journaledor pivoted to a supporting-bar, and provided with an eccentric journalentering the center of the cover, and also provided with inclines d,which bear upon corresponding inclines upon the supporting-bar, asshown,

so that when the lever is moved in the proper direction .the inclinescause it to force the cover against the seat, while at the same time theeccentric journal imparts to the cover the required sliding and rotatingmotion. The essential feature of the invention is, giving to the coverthe peculiar movements described, and, as stated above, this may beaccomplished by a device arranged in different ways.

It is obvious that the form of the parts is immaterial, and that theymay be varied as circumstances may require or fancy dictate, providedtheir operation remains unchanged.

As stated above, my method of closing openings is applicable in a greatvariety of places, among which may be mentioned the man-holes of boilersand other closed vessels, the tops of chemical fire-extinguishers, themouths of vessels containing gases, chemicals, or fruits,vaultcovers,the side lights of vessels, gas-meter valves, and sugar-filters. Amongthe other purposes for which my lid or cover may be applied is that ofclosing the mouthsof gasretorts; but as it is necessary to mount thecover for that purpose in a peculiar manner, and to employ parts notshown in the accompanying drawings, I have made such application thesubject of a separate patent.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In combinationwith a seat or bearing, A, a plate or cover, 13, fitting against theface of the same, and having a sliding and rotating movement,substantially as shown and described.

2. In combination with the flat seat A and the plate or cover B, thescrew G, or its equivalent, mounted in a support, D, and provided withthe eccentric head seated 'in the center of the plate, substantially asshown and described.

HENRY OOLLINSON.

Witnesses:

P. T. DODGE, DONN TWITGHELL.

